


A Journey With You

by SuirenShinju



Category: Sofia the First (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, cedfia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-12 06:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19223698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuirenShinju/pseuds/SuirenShinju
Summary: After wrestling with his feelings for the youngest Princess, Cedric decides to follow his heart and Sofia after she leaves Enchancia for unknown adventures





	1. Maybe It's Loneliness, Maybe It's Love

Cedric had always been aware of Sofia's affection for him. He wasn't completely clueless. Yes, she got a little less clingy during the awkward years of puberty, but never quite distanced herself in the way he expected a teenager to. She aired her grievances with him like he was her sole confidant, a behavior he couldn't say he much cared for at first, but had grown used to as the years passed. He wouldn't deny they were close, but knew enough to take into account what outside eyes might see when it was just the two of them together. A kindly uncle to one niece, Sofia never quite fit in to that relationship mold with him and vice versa. He never tried to parent her in place of King Roland or Queen Miranda. Occasionally he lent a guiding hand as her magic tutor, but beyond that, their friendship was something unlabeled, but no less special. The fact that it could change hadn't dawned upon the sorcerer until talks about the futures of the young royals developed further.  
  
Amber would be queen and was quite thoroughly searching for her princely partner to rule with her. James, the handsome knight/prince that he was, had his pick of maidens as well, eager to impress, but not quite ready to settle down yet. As for Sofia, she didn't seem to have much interest in a partner at all, her mind still set on adventures and sampling every experience life had to offer her.   
  
"I don't get why Amber's so eager for me to find someone since she doesn't want me to leave Enchancia either."  
  
"Still set on you becoming her Royal Adviser, eh?" Cedric smiled out of the corner of his mouth as he listened to her vent her woes over shared potion making.   
  
"Yes, and I certainly don't have any objection to it, but I don't think I'll stay at the castle forever. I love Amber, but I do need a break from her from time to time."  
  
"Nothing wrong with that, Sofia, but the castle is certainly big enough for you two to live apart so to speak."  
  
"True. Your whole tower is basically an annex. I'm lucky if I see you at all nowadays."  
  
"At least you know where to find me," he smiled, this time more sincerely, earning a warm smile from her in return.  
  
"Right," she beamed. "You're always here when I need you."  
  
"Oh pish posh. You haven't needed me in years, Princess," he said dismissively.   
  
She really hadn't. She was full grown and well independent since long ago. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the days when she came bursting through his door with a problem. A villain eager to play the hero for the damsel in distress was a funny sort of situation, but now he was simply her friend... and while that should have been more than enough, lately he felt like something was missing from their dynamic, but he couldn't say what. Maybe he was just lonely.  
  
"Who else is going to lend an ear to me at this point knowing how long I can go on?" Sofia lightly bumped her elbow against his arm with a guilty giggle.   
  
He stilled his hand from stirring the cauldron, unable to remember when last they touched so casually. "If you prattled on about trivial matters, rest assured you'd've been kicked out of my workshop many times by now."  
  
Sofia giggled again. "Yes, you did tend to shove me out when you'd had enough of me."  
  
"Not so easy to do now that you're so big," he pointed out flatly.  
  
Sofia blushed. Right. She was fairly big compared to him, the top of her head resting just under the length of his nose. She'd filled out quite a bit too. It was hard to tell given the thickness of his robe, but she just might be wider than the sorcerer by now. He really hadn't aged much since she'd met him. A couple more wrinkles, a few more grey hairs, but he looked about the same where as she'd gone from a chubby faced eight year old to a full figured woman in her twenties.  
  
"Er, by 'big', I didn't mean to imply you've gotten fat," Cedric stumbled over an apology, certain her lack of a reply meant she'd taken offense to his word choice. "You're perfectly proportioned! I mean, no, that is to say, you're--!"  
  
Sofia turned, ready to calm him, but oddly held her breath to see what he would say.  
  
"You're... you know..." he continued to fumble with his words.   
  
"...Not someone you'd kick out of your workshop?" Sofia kindly offered. She'd let him go on enough.  
  
"Well, that, and you're... you're not bad to look at. I'm sure that's why Princess Amber thinks you should be courting. I mean, in addition to being kind and reasonable, you know? Someone out there is waiting to have their happily ever after with you."  
  
Sofia gave a soft smile. "I'm already happy, Cedric."  
  
"Er, Merlin's Mushrooms, I meant--"  
  
"I know," she assured him before he could continue his tangent. With the potion all but finished, she laid her head against his shoulder and pressed up against his side.   
  
It wasn't anything new, rather an invitation to express himself physically since words still failed him at times. He placed an arm around her shoulder and leant against her, sighing deeply at his ineptitude, but grateful for the warmth and comfort she provided both physically and spiritually. Her presence was still healing him after all these years. Deep down he knew what this feeling was, but given their ages, he tried to deny it, and yet his heart kept screaming that her happily ever after was to be his as well. Royal Sorcerers don't marry princesses.


	2. Lock Her In a Tower; Turn Her Into a Swan

Cedric's evil plans never included forcing a marriage, but he now knew why certain villains resorted to such tactics until the idea of Sofia leaving Enchancia became a reality. He would have liked to have been happy for her, to support her decisions, and he did, just not to the point where he'd seldom see her again. A couple times a year seemed... cruel. It was still only a rumor that the youngest princess would be leaving within the month, so perhaps he was spiraling back into darkness without good reason, but there he was. Wishing he could lock her away in his tower or turn her into a swan.   
  
Maybe he ought to confess these conflicting feelings to her, but if he truly was having fits of villainy resurging after all this time, it might only hurt her to know he still wasn't as great a man he wanted to be. The maidens in those other tales never wanted anything to do with their captors, although those villains sought only the gains that came from marrying their princesses - he simply loved Sofia, selfishly and completely. She'd never want to marry him, would she? Maybe if their age difference wasn't so great or he were slightly more princely in appearance... No, she'd never... and how could he even think such things? Marrying her would require certain intimacies... and not that he was opposed, but he didn't like the idea of forcing anything on her. But they didn't have to have sex, his mind reasoned. The bonds of their vows ought to be enough, he just needed some excuse more powerful than "I don't want to be without you".  
  
It felt a bit pathetic but it dawned on him he could be the one beholden to her, if she'd have him. Oh this was bound to be embarrassing, but he decided long ago that he wouldn't lose her.  
  
He sought her out this time, and she was never in one place long much to his chagrin. He probably would have had better luck waiting in his tower for her to show up, but mercifully, he was able to catch her returning to her room after lunch where she kindly invited him in to the vestibule where they could converse.  
  
"Sofia, I... was wondering if I might accompany you on your journeys," he got straight to the point of his unexpected visit.  
  
"Really?" She smiled, delighted by the idea. "You're not too busy with work?"  
  
"I... think I'll call it an early retirement," he admitted. "Besides, won't the King and Queen also sleep better knowing you're not getting into trouble on your own?"  
  
She giggled. "Well, I suppose it is a bit safer, but you don't have to uproot your whole life."  
  
"I want to," he said eagerly, moving closer to plead his case. "I mean, call it a midlife crisis if you will, but I... want to be with you. It feels right to be by your side. I know you're capable, so this is entirely my own selfish request, but if you'll have me, I..."  
  
Sofia blushed. His words sounded more like a romantic confession than a simple request. "If you're sure it's what you want, I wouldn't mind at all. We haven't been on an adventure together for a while now. It's been too long!"  
  
It was rare for Cedric's face to light up the way it did, but a genuine happy smile coupled with Sofia's usual taking of his hands to give a reassuring squeeze, relieved all the stress he'd built up the past few weeks. He squeezed her hands back and bowed his head, lifting them to his hairline. "Thank you, Princess."  
  
"...Cedric, is something else the matter?" She had to ask, closing the distance between them and freeing one of her hands to lift his head up.   
  
"Ah," he smiled, happy to feel the gentle touch of her hand on his cheek. "Just wishing I were a bit younger."  
  
They both blushed this time and Cedric quickly expanded on the statement.  
  
"E-Easier to travel you know, not that I foresee myself being a burden, but I wouldn't want to slow you down."  
  
"The good thing about adventures is you don't have to be in a hurry, not unless things get dangerous."  
  
"And what are the odds on that?" He had to quip, earning a giggle from her.  
  
"Well, I promise you I won't strive for danger," she said, taking her hand back to cross her fingers. "Buttercup's honor."  
  
Cedric smirked, knowing that same honor was just as likely to put them in undesirable situations, but it mattered very little to him at this point. He'd do anything for her. 


	3. Adventures Should Be Fun On Occasion

One village liberated from a temperamental manticore, another village saved from a pesky swarm of ratflys, and yet another cured of the posy pox: a somewhat harmless magic disease in which the infected sprouted flowers from every follicle. Only a danger to those with allergies really - and lucky Cedric got a case of it mid brewing for the cure. Their journey together was going about as well as Cedric expected, even cured of the posy pox he was still sneezing and blooming the odd flower from his tip of his nose. 

"That'll stop, right?" Sofia asked, pausing with setting up camp to poke her head into their modest carriage to check on the last patient of the epidemic.

"Yes, it likes to linger with those sensitive to it," he said, plucking the stem from the tip of his nose as he lay on the side bench of their wagon. "I'll be fine."

"You're sure you're okay to camp? I'm sure we could make it to another town before nightfall."

"I'm fine Sofia, let the flying horses get some rest. They're more exhausted than we are."

 _"He can say that again,"_  one of the mares said as she enjoyed her feed.

 _"You need to learn to relax, Princess,"_  the other neighed as she continued to stretch her wings, desperate to work out a cramp.

Able to hear their voices, Sofia felt a bit guilty her good samaritanism had pushed them a bit far. "I've been overdoing it again, huh?"

"Just a little," Cedric said as he sat up and nonchalantly flicked the blossom to the ground. "I wouldn't call any of the situations we've come across as 'dire', my dear. Adventures are occasionally supposed to be fun, are they not?"

She paused a moment, only to smile and nod in agreement with him once the limb retracted completely. "You're right."  
  
"Of course I am," he chuckled before climbing out of the wagon to help with the rest of set-up, an ease with a wand and spell, making it easier for both of them to relax.   
  
Cedric's sneezes were down to just a petal or two, one in his eyebrow that Sofia plucked for him with a little giggle. She knew their travels hadn't been the smoothest, but he was rather reserved with his complaints - which surprised her. He was never subtle with his feelings, but lately he seemed quieter than usual. Not in a bad way necessarily, just different. Peaceful wasn't quite the right word, perhaps contented? That they could sit in silence just watching the campfire together was nice. 

**Author's Note:**

> Just some drabbles I had wasting away in storage. Gonna turn it into a cute lil fic.


End file.
